


What Love Is

by MonPetitTresor, SpencerRemyLvr



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Supernatural, X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: I was challenged to just write smut, Love, M/M, Multi, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Polyamory, Porn with Feelings, Though I may add more later, and I'll add more tags if I do, because I always write feelings?, so smut this is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-21
Updated: 2019-05-09
Packaged: 2019-06-30 11:32:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15750822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MonPetitTresor/pseuds/MonPetitTresor, https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpencerRemyLvr/pseuds/SpencerRemyLvr
Summary: Most people assumed that Tony couldn't handle a stable relationship with ONE person. But with FOUR? It boggles the mind of just about anyone they come across. And yet, it works for them, far better than anything in their lives ever has.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SpencerRemyLvr](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpencerRemyLvr/gifts), [WhinyWingedWinchester](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhinyWingedWinchester/gifts).



> Okay, this is purely written because my dearest Trips is great at encouraging me to do tons of stuff, and this happened to be one of them. We were talking about ships, and about J saying how I should write poly ships, and it ended up with me taking my ships and mashing them all together in one bed. So, enjoy!

If someone had asked Tony Stark a year ago what he would be doing, lying in a pile of naked boyfriends while his superhero teammates slept a few floors below him would not have been his answer. Yet there wasn’t a place in the world that Tony would’ve rather been. He was in the middle of the best kind of naked sandwich, and it was _awesome_.

Even without opening his eyes it was easy for Tony to identify who was where all around him. Not only did he recognize the feel, but when they got the chance for all of them to sleep together like this – which wasn’t often – they tended to end up the same way just about every single time.

Tony and Spencer always ended wrapped up in one another right smack dab up in the center. They were the smallest, and the ones that seemed to inspire the most protection. Well, really, _Spencer_ was, even if Tony was actually shorter than him. But their geeky little FBI agent was scrawny, and sweet, and had this innocent thing about him that just made everyone want to either kidnap him or cuddle him. With those big brown eyes and that sweet baby-face he wasn’t ever quite able to get rid of, he was too cute for words, as Tony and Remy often liked to tell him.

Remy was the one currently curled up against Tony’s back like a protective shield between him and the world. He had an arm around Tony’s waist, one leg thrown over him, and he’d buried his nose against the back of Tony’s neck. Being between him and Spencer – who clung like an octopus to those around him – was like being wrapped up in warmth and safety and love in ways Tony would never admit out loud to loving the hell out of.

Though Tony couldn’t see Remy like this, it wasn’t hard to picture him. He’d seen their Cajun sleep this way with Spencer before. Remy slept without clothes, a sign of trust towards them, with all that tanned skin out in beautiful view. He didn’t bother hiding his scars like this, or keeping a weapon on him, knowing that he could trust his bedmates. Auburn hair would be a mess, only not in that messy way that Tony’s hair got. No, in that stupidly gorgeous way that all of Tony’s partners except Spencer seemed to manage, which somehow made them _still_ look good. The assholes.

One of Tony’s favorite things was to watch when Remy woke up. When he’d start to blink slowly, and those devil eyes that so many people hated him for would peek out from long lashes. With red irises, and black sclera, they were unique eyes, to say the least, and Tony _loved them_. He especially loved the way the red would glow when Remy saw who was in front of him, or how the red would thin down to just a slender ring of glowing light when Remy was buried deep inside of him.

Loki’s eyes glowed, too, and Tony loved that just as much. Unlike the red of Remy’s, his were a bright and beautiful green.

Those green eyes were staring at Tony when he finally opened his own. The sight of them made Tony’s lips quirk up in a faint, sleepy grin.

The sight of the three men in front of Tony, in exactly the position he’d known they’d be, was enough to make his smile grow. Spencer was lying like a blanket over top of Sam, with Loki on the outside of the both of them, one arm flung protectively over the two. Normally, he laid stretched out beside them, but he’d brought himself up so that he was resting on folded arms on Spencer’s back, smiling down at Tony.

It was so very rare for all of them to get the chance to be together like this. Much as they all hated it, they were all far enough apart that they usually were split up into pairs more often than not. Spencer and Remy, Tony and Loki, Loki and Sam, and sometimes Remy, Tony, and Loki.

Sam was the hardest one to pin down. Being a hunter meant that he traveled the world chasing down the supernatural creatures that the rest of the world didn’t even know existed. He was always traveling somewhere, usually far away from them. It was easiest for Loki to go to him, being able to teleport and all. Since Sam settled in at the Men of Letters bunker, it’d gotten a bit easier. Loki could teleport them there as a group, or just a few of them. They’d gone out there a lot, lately, with everything that had been going on with him.

Just thinking of how close they’d come to losing Sam was enough to make Tony’s smile slip away. Recently, he’d undergone the fucking _Trials_ to close the gates of Hell – Jesus fuck, sometimes the things that were normal to say around here were fucking _weird_ – and it’d almost killed him. So much so that his brother Dean had actually tricked Sam into getting possessed by an angel.

Thank God they had Loki around. The trickster had taken one look at Sam and had fought like hell to get that angel out of there. From what Tony knew, it hadn’t been easy, but Loki had managed. Then he’d brought Sam straight here and made him stick around until they were sure that he’d finally managed to get fully healed inside. Only when Loki had given his stamp of approval had Sam been cleared to do more than get up out of bed.

Of course, things hadn’t gone any better after that. Sam had gone back home, Dean had gotten the Mark of Cain, and things were one giant shit show over there.

But none of that was important right now. Right now, the only important thing was that – for the first time in almost five months – all five of them were together under one roof. Not just any roof, either, but all of them at Stark Tower. Not some stupid little motel/hotel somewhere, or crammed into Spencer’s tiny apartment, or some hidden retreat where no one was around for miles.

No, Tony had been able to convince them all to finally come _here_. To be in his home, with his family and friends. It seemed like the perfect way to spend their up-and-coming one-year anniversary. While they’d been together off and on in multiple ways, and pairings, over the years, they’d officially become a poly-relationship one year ago this Saturday, and it was the best damn decision Tony had ever made.

Yet somehow, he’d managed to go that entire year without introducing anyone on the team to the rest of his partners. They knew about Loki, considering he lived with them now, but they didn’t know about the others. Tony was aiming to change that. And, so long as no world ending trauma popped up on any front, for any of them, he had the next _two weeks_ to do just that.

The face buried against Tony’s neck suddenly pressed in a little closer. Warm breath huffed against his skin in a soft, husky chuckle. At the same time, the arm around his waist pulled him in even closer, while the long body behind him snuggled in. “It’s too early to be thinking so hard, cher.”

“Does he ever stop thinking?” came Sam’s voice from just above their heads.

Tony leaned in and hid his smile against the crown of Spencer’s head. “So that’s how it’s gonna be, huh? Not even outta bed yet and everyone’s picking on Tony.”

While the others laughed, the body in front of Tony’s squirmed in closer, and a chilly nose traced a line over Tony’s collarbone, followed by lazy kisses that had Tony humming happily. “Hello there,” he murmured as he trailed one hand up Spencer’s back, tracing over the bumps of his spine. “At least _someone_ woke up nice.” The last word came out twisted and garbled through a moan as Spencer’s mouth slid lower, lips and teeth tracing alongside the arc reactor until he found one of Tony’s nipples.

The hand on Tony’s stomach started tracing light patterns into his skin, teasing over the trail of hair just below his bellybutton without going any further. Remy nuzzled in until he was at Tony’s ear, giving it a sharp nip before murmuring: “Spencer always wakes up nice. Specially when he’s with us, _oui_? All dese happy emotions,” Remy rolled his hips so that he pushed up against Tony, making it clear just what _happy emotions_ he was talking about. “He can’t help himself. It’s de empath in him, jus’ gets to feelin’ so _bon_.”

Having not just one, but _two_ empaths in the bed definitely made things interesting, Tony had to admit. Remy didn’t like to admit to his own empathy even when it was leaking out of him, but it was there. Sometimes, Tony was pretty sure Sam had some too, but talking about Sam’s powers was a big no-no unless he brought it up, and that was rare. The only one who ever really got away with talking to him about powers was Loki. Those two had bonded over powers, and shit childhoods, and even shittier prophecies where they were said to doom the world.

Tony was distracted from those thoughts pretty quickly when Spencer bit down at the same time that Remy gave a tug to that little line of hair. The dual sensations had Tony moaning and trying to push into both at the same time.

He felt when Spencer suddenly gasped, mouth dropping open and forehead pressing against Tony’s shoulder, and when Tony gathered himself enough to open his eyes and look down, he saw that Loki’s hand had gone from lazily resting on Spencer’s hip to curving down between him and Sam. Whatever he was doing – and was it really that hard to figure out? – had both Spencer _and_ Sam gasping.

A slow grin curved over Tony’s lips. “You know, I think someone might just be feeling a little left out. I mean, the rest of you got here the night before last, but Spencer,” here, Tony paused, deliberately running his hand up the soft skin of Spencer’s thigh where it’d been resting, letting his nails scrape ever so slightly just to get that lovely little shiver. “He only got in last night. We barely got a chance to do more than a quick welcome romp before we all ended up asleep.”

“Very true.” Loki purred out the words while sliding further up, putting him on Sam and up against Spencer. It let him slip his arm further between the two men and press his lips against Spencer’s spine.

When Remy chuckled, it sent a warm puff of breath against Tony’s ear, making him shiver. “Maybe we should take de time to welcome him properly, _oui_?”

The sound that Spencer made could’ve been a happy groan, or a worried one, there was no real telling. Probably a mixture of both. Tony knew what it was like to be at the center of attention with the whole group.

“As fun as that all sounds,” Spencer said, speaking for the first time since he’d gotten up. His voice was low and heavy with sleep, which was an amazing sound on him. On all of them. “Are you guys forgetting we’re in the tower? What could likely be considered the most technological building in the whole of the East Coast, if not the entirety of the United States.”

Hmm. He made a valid point.

Dating people with powers meant that they had to take those kinds of things into account whenever they did anything. Loki’s seidr, and his need to be in nature sometimes, plus his love of colder climates. Sam’s sensitivity to anything supernatural and to certain wards that Loki had had to learn to adjust around him. Remy’s charm, which could be just as much a danger to him as to everyone around him, and the way he sometimes accidentally charged things and made them explode when emotional. And Spencer’s empathy, which made him extremely sensitive to feelings around him, and to large groups, as well as his electricity which could sometimes act up when he wasn’t keeping control of it – like during sex.

On one memorable occasion, they’d been damn lucky they were in some far-from-civilization retreat because Spencer had managed to blow out the power to the entire house as well as actually _explode_ the generator.

Of course, Loki had also accidentally tossed around half the room with _his_ orgasm, and Remy had exploded two pillows, so Tony was calling the whole thing a giant success.

But, doing that in the tower – probably not the best plan.

Then again, he hadn’t taken into account Loki, who was now carefully rolling Spencer off of Sam and down into the small space between Sam and Tony, and he was chuckling as he did it. “Do you think I cannot contain your powers here, sweet one?” Loki followed after Spencer, causing Sam and Tony to scoot back just enough that Loki could easily slide in and sit astride Spencer’s hips. Their mage wasn’t the least bit ashamed of his body, or its reactions, and sat tall and aroused as he smirked down at Spencer. “Or that I haven’t made absolutely sure to set up protective wards around our bedchambers? If my wards are strong enough to contain magical lightning, I’m quite sure they can contain your powers.”

“See? We’ve got everything under control,” Tony said. He’d learned to trust Loki’s wards a while ago.

So had the others, it seemed. No one lodged another protest, not even Spencer, and soon enough they were all too busy to really care. Tony and Sam were pressed to either side of Spencer, stroking over every bit of skin they could reach, trying to tease and excite their sensitive lover. Though, Tony couldn’t resist stretching himself up on one arm so that he could reach over and give Sam a good-morning kiss that turned into something a whole lot filthier.

Remy broke free from behind Tony and chose instead to slip over them. Tony lost track of him for a moment; right up until Loki practically fell down onto Sam and Tony, who had to jerk back quickly or get squashed. Loki ended up with a hand on either side of Spencer’s head, his body bowing while his head dropped down, ragged gasps tearing past his lips.

One look told Tony why. He smirked when he saw that Remy had slipped down and placed himself between Spencer’s knees. With his hands on Loki’s hips, he had his head down, and his face buried right up against Loki’s rather gorgeous ass, a place which they’d all quickly discovered Loki loved having them. The man was a complete _slut_ for being rimmed, which worked out perfectly because Remy and Sam both enjoyed doing it. A lot.

Reaching out, Tony slid his hand up Loki’s thigh until he could reach his ass. He grabbed a handful and pulled, opening Loki up even more to Remy’s talented mouth, which only served to bring another of those beautiful moans past Loki’s lips. Tony let his smile grow. “You like that, sweetheart?” The soft skin of Loki’s neck was just visible through a screen of hair, and Tony happily took the invitation, nosing in enough that he could kiss and nip all along the length of it. He murmured against Loki’s skin as he did, knowing the man loved hearing the words. “He’s so good at that, isn’t he? I think he’d do this for hours if we let him. Taking you apart with those pretty lips of his, and that tongue. Oh, the things that tongue can do.”

The sound Loki made was something like “ _Hgnnnn_ ” and it made Tony grin. They’d made a contest sometimes out of who could make Loki go non-verbal the fastest. Sometimes the mage liked to talk – and oh, the filthy mouth he had, he was _way_ too good at dirty talk – but sometimes he got lost in pleasure and stopped talking at all.

Remy was the best at it. For any of them.

Tony was pretty proud that he came in second. No one could say he didn’t put his all in whatever he did!

Caught up in teasing Loki, who had dived down to give Spencer a searing kiss, Tony was distracted from the other occupant of the bed right up until the moment when he suddenly found himself being tackled.

Tony let out a sound that was _not_ a squawk, thank you very much! Then he was flat on his back with Sam stretched out over him. The hunter wore a bright, too-alert grin, and his hair was loose and tousled around his head, and Tony melted a little at the clear love that shone from Sam’s eyes. The giant puppy could pull up a shield as good as the rest of them, but when he was alone with them, he let it down and allowed them to see anything and everything he felt right there in his dark hazel eyes.

“Can I help you?” Tony asked because he was a shit like that, and he enjoyed the way it made Sam’s grin only brighten.

Sam wiggled his eyebrows in a look he’d no doubt picked up from his idiot brother, and it made him look ridiculous and just a bit adorable. “Maaaaaybe.” He punctuated that statement with a roll of his hips that, if Tony hadn’t already been hard, would’ve had him ready and raring to go in an instant.

“I thought we were supposed to be welcoming Spencer home?”

Those words came out just a bit breathier than Tony would’ve liked. Sam chuckled at him. “I think they’ve got that handled pretty well.” Sam slanted his eyes to the side, and Tony followed his gaze. He found that Loki had lifted himself up a little, and Remy had his mouth on Spencer now, swallowing his cock like a pro while he was using one hand to prep Loki, already two fingers deep in him.

Another roll of Sam’s hips brought Tony’s focus back to the man currently pinning him down. Sam didn’t give him time to say anything; he bent down and took Tony’s mouth in a kiss that threw thought right out of Tony’s head. Sam kissed with the same focus he did everything else. His attention narrowed down to the one he was with, and he threw his all into it, strong and commanding and yet somehow still amazingly gentle at the same time.

When he drew back, Tony was panting and totally unashamed of it. “We can take our turn later,” he said, reaching up to curl one hand around the back of Sam’s neck and pull him in for another kiss.

Sam chuckled against his lips. His big hands moved to cup Tony’s face, holding him there as Sam once more took over his mouth, tongue sliding in past his teeth to trace over every inch of his mouth. It almost distracted him from the way that Sam shifted his legs, using them to push Tony’s thighs apart. Then Sam was breaking the kiss only to instead trail his mouth over Tony’s jawline, nipping along the way, and down to his neck. He didn’t do more than lightly bite there, knowing full well that Tony couldn’t really afford a bunch of hickies. He often had to go in front of the press. Pepper would kill him if he let his lovers mark his neck up as much as he wanted them to.

From there, Sam continued his downward path, mouth tasting and relearning all the familiar places that made Tony gasp and squirm. He avoided the arc reactor the same way the rest of them did; the only person in their group who had the ability to touch it always, without fear of retribution, was Spencer. Tony couldn’t explain why. It was just the way it was.

Speaking of Spencer – just as Sam was biting and sucking his way over Tony’s hip, a long-fingered hand fond its way to Tony’s and gripped down tightly. Anchoring, Tony knew, even without having to look. That didn’t mean that he didn’t roll his head and look, though.

Spencer’s face was shining with a faint sheen of sweat. His eyes were closed, mouth hanging open, and he’d shoved his head back against the bed while the rest of him was practically vibrating with his need to move. Loki – hands braced on Spencer’s chest – was grinning as he slowly, _torturously_ , sank down onto Spencer’s cock inch by inch. The bastard had a way of drawing it out that was amazing and agonizing. For Spencer, who was ultra-sensitive, just slightly worse than Sam was, he’d told them it was something that he couldn’t always manage but that he loved when it did happen.

At the same time that Loki finally fully seated himself, Sam finally gave up on marking Tony’s hips and moved to wrap his lips around the head of Tony’s aching cock. With the skill that none of them could replicate, the hunter slid his mouth down in one easy, smooth move, taking Tony in deep enough that Tony could actually feel himself hitting the back of the man’s throat.

This time it was Tony who was clutching at Spencer’s hand. He groaned, loudly, and didn’t bother fighting the roll of his hips. He knew Sam loved it. “Fuck, Sam,” Tony groaned out. His free hand went to Sam’s hair and tangled in those long locks so that he could hold him in place and push again, sliding in deep and then drawing back out. “Oh, _fuck_!”

“I believe that’s the general idea,” Loki said, voice breathy with pleasure and laughter both.

Another laugh came from their feet – Remy, this time. He was kneeling down there with one hand wrapped around himself, and those dark eyes half-hidden as he stroked himself and watched them. “Y’ two don’t be careful, y’r gonna break our boys.”

It took a few tries for Tony to manage to get his voice to work. Most of his focus was on the warm, hot mouth that was bobbing up and down on him, sucking him in deep only to pull back so that Sam’s tongue could do things that Tony swore shouldn’t be possible. “Why don’t… _ohfuckme_ …why don’t you get up here and, _God!_ , join us?”

“Mm. Temptin’, cher.” Remy’s voice was a low, husky purr, his desire easy to hear. “ _Mais_ , I’m thinkin’ I like de view where I’m at.”

That wasn’t a surprising comment. Remy liked to watch – often. Which worked out perfectly because Tony never had an issue putting on a show. Sometimes Remy would kneel by them and watch, and sometimes he liked to sit there and call out suggestions, directions, that never failed to be _awesome_.

Sam hummed, and Tony forgot about being watched, or about anything really except the talented mouth that was taking him apart with a speed that would’ve been embarrassing if he hadn’t already resigned himself to how quickly these guys could get him off.

He tried to hold out. Really, he did. Tony held tight to Spencer’s hand and tried to shut out the soft gasps and moans that Spencer let out – still so quiet like he was afraid of letting people hear how much he enjoyed himself – or the growling noises that Loki was making as he fucked himself faster and harder. But then Sam was humming again, and he took Tony deep, down into his throat, while at the same time his thumbnail scratched over Tony’s perineum, and that was it. Tony was shouting out his pleasure and curling in from the force of his orgasm, hand going tight in Sam’s hair to keep him in place.

Wave after wave washed through him, leaving him slumped and panting on the bed when it was finally over. He didn’t begrudge Sam’s smug look when the man straightened up; he’d earned it.

He watched as Loki twisted and leaned over to steal a kiss from Sam that would undoubtedly taste like Tony. The mage kept Sam in the kiss with a firm hand to his neck, while his other hand slipped down to wrap around Sam’s cock. Tony was free to just lay there, holding Spencer’s hand still, and watch the show unfold in front of him while his brain was nice and pleasantly muddied.

The next one to lose it was Loki, almost simultaneously with Sam. Their kiss turned sloppy until they were both basically panting into the other’s mouths, each chasing the pleasure of their own orgasm.

That was it for their two empaths – there was no way either Spencer or Remy could stand up to the combined pleasure of their partners like that, especially not after already feeling Tony come apart. Spencer pushed up a few more times, hard and fast, and he let out a ragged groan that was echoed by another one from the foot of the bed.

They ended up in a sweaty pile of bodies that Tony knew he’d find gross at some point. Sweat and come, plus a bit of lube was on them and the sheets. Soon enough, they were going to feel it, and they’d work to drag themselves out of Tony’s enormous bed and into his equally enormous shower. There, they’d indulge in the gentler kisses and touches, and a bit of aftercare for their more sensitive partners, and it’d be everything that Tony had been dreaming about.

For now, he was more than content to lay with Sam half on his legs, and Loki twisted to lay over both his and Spencer’s torsos. Remy moved to snuggle at Spencer’s free side, just laying his head against Spencer’s shoulder and a hand over his heart.

Smiling, Tony leaned in until he could reach Spencer’s lips, giving him the slow and warm kind of kiss that helped Spencer come back to earth without it being too jarring. “Welcome home, sweetheart,” he murmured against Spencer’s lips.

The smile Spencer gave him was the relaxed kind that no one else but them ever got to see. “Thanks.”

“We did pretty good this time,” Sam mumbled. His weight shifted over Tony’s legs – most likely looking around. “Nothing looks like it blew up.”

A huff came from Loki. The mage’s face was pressing on Tony’s stomach, muffling his words a little, yet they were still able to hear him as he said: “I told you my shields would stand.”

There was no way Tony could wipe away the grin that stretched his lips. He had no idea what he’d done in his life to earn him the love of these four amazing men, and he was still terrified sometimes that he’d lose it far easier than he’d gained it, but it was moments like these that gave him the hope that maybe, just maybe, this might be something he’d get to keep.

Tony lifted one hand and patted lightly at Loki’s head. “That you did, Lokes. That you did.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> By popular request, here's the SassSquad meeting the Avengers

They’d talked a few times about how they planned on introducing everyone to the rest of the Avengers. There were a lot of ways they could do it, and not all of them were the best of ideas. Tony, Loki, and Remy were all for having as much fun with it as possible – their ideas ranged from deliberately letting the others walk in on them, to just sort of playing ridiculous and flirting heavily until the Avengers figured it out on their own, to playing a rather elaborate trick that involved them playing sneaky and trying to make the others think Tony was cheating on Loki with a bunch of different people.

Needless to say, neither Sam nor Spencer were all that fond of those ideas.

“We’re not going to make them think you’re that kind of an asshole,” Sam said firmly when they tried to sell their joke idea.

Eyes just as fierce as Sam’s, Spencer nodded his agreement. “While it might be funny in the long run, it would also make them think that you’re the type of person to cheat on someone you love. It’d give them the wrong impression about you, Tony. I’m not going to be a part of something that makes someone think of you like that when we all know there’s nothing further from the truth. I love you, and I won’t disrespect you that way.”

When he put it like that, what the hell else could Tony do but climb up on the little sappy shit and kiss him until they all ended up with a few less clothes?

In the end, they decided to be somewhat nice about it, with just enough mischievousness to make their tricksters happy.

They came out from their first morning all together in the tower at what was actually rather late for some of them, and they got comfortable in the penthouse kitchen where Spencer, Remy, and Loki set about making brunch food, while Sam and Tony – who were banned from cooking pretty much ever – went about setting the table. As they did, they had JARVIS extend an invitation to the rest of the tower to come up and join them.

The coffee had finally finished brewing it’s third pot, seeing as how the other two were already served up in cups, and Spencer was adding a stack of pancakes to the wide array of food already on the table when JARVIS let them know of the arrival of the others. Surprisingly, all at once. It would seem they’d all been together down in the gym when JARVIS had sent out his invitation, so they arrived together.

Tony looked up with a bright grin at the sound of his friends’ arrival. They were barely out of the elevator when he was already calling out to them and waving them over. “Guys! Glad you could make it! Come in, come in. We’ve almost got all the food ready, and the table’s set. I think we even still have coffee. If you want some, come grab it before anyone else gets to it. Lord knows we can murder the hell out of a pot of coffee in no time flat.”

There was a relaxation to Tony at that moment that was open in a way that had more than a few of his friends looking at him in open surprise. Bruce’s eyebrows had shot up towards his hairline, Natasha’s had narrowed down over her eyes, and Clint was actually gaping at him.

Thor was the one to react the least. That is to say, he didn’t treat it like it was any big deal to have three strange men in varying stages of dress in Tony’s kitchen. (Remy was in just pajama pants and a tank top, Sam was in only pajama pants – and only because Tony and Loki had hidden his shirts from him and ushered him out here – and Spencer was in his usual slacks paired with Sam’s hoodie that was practically swallowing him whole.)

Not one of them made Thor blink. He beamed broadly and strode forward, calling out a cheerful “Thank you for the invite, Anthony! I will never turn down one of Loki’s breakfasts.”

Thor’s easy acceptance, and the way he sat down at the table without any hesitation seemed to break the ice for the others. Steve moved forward first, and the rest followed after him.

That would’ve been the best time for Tony to do introductions, and he really had planned on it. Truly. Only, as he opened his mouth to speak, he also reached out to try and steal a strawberry from the bowl in front of Remy, hoping to be sneaky enough to get one without getting caught.

He should’ve known better. Remy slapped his hand, though it didn’t stop Tony from grabbing the berry and quickly tossing it into his mouth, much to the amusement of his partners. “Quit tryin’ to eat it all!” Remy scolded Tony, laughter easily heard under his words.

Tony grinned around the strawberry he was happily eating. Just to be ornery, he reached out for another, only to have his hand smacked away by Remy again – successfully this time. “Hey!” Tony called out, jerking his hand back. “Abuse! That’s abuse right there!”

Remy pointed a fork at Tony threateningly. Over his shades, his eyebrows had drawn down in a mock glare that held no real heat. “Remy’s gonna show y’ abuse if y’ keep on trying to steal food, cher.”

Words like that were a guaranteed challenge, and anyone who knew Tony knew that. The light in Tony’s eyes made it clear he already had a response in mind. Before it could escalate, Sam rolled his eyes and reached out to Tony. In one easy move, he twisted enough to close his hands around Tony’s hips. The others watched on in surprise as Sam actually picked Tony up. The genius let out a loud squawk and grabbed at Sam’s hands, almost toppling over, only to get caught up by Loki, who had turned away from his food to reach for Tony as if he and Sam had planned the whole thing.

Amidst loud laughter from the Avengers and Tony’s shouts of “Let me down, you assholes!” the man was passed from Sam to Loki, who then turned and set Tony up on the counter next to where Loki was standing. A pout was already building on Tony’s lips as he slumped down, arms crossing over his chest.  “What the hell, guys? I’m not a doll!”

Smirking, Loki leaned in and gave him a thorough enough kiss to have Tony looking a bit dazed when they pulled apart. Loki patted one hand in mocking kindness against Tony’s cheek. “The food will be done soon enough, Anthony. You can wait.”

Sam rolled his eyes again. Then, smiling, he turned to look at the Avengers, who were still standing sort of awkwardly on the sidelines. “I apologize for how weird this must be to you guys. We probably should’ve had you over later, when everyone was more awake.”

“Not dat it’d matter. Spencer usually says we aint quite housebroken yet,” Remy chimed in. The way he was grinning made it clear he wasn’t the least bit bothered by that.

Spencer, however, flushed and ducked his head. He was the one that was clearly the least comfortable here. Seeing that was enough to have Tony forgetting briefly about his own need to pout. He lifted his hands and held them out Spencer’s direction before making grabbing motions at him. “Spencer! They’re being _mean_!”

A nudge from Remy sent Spencer stumbling in Tony’s direction where he was easily caught and dragged in close. Tony wrapped both arms and legs around, feeling it as Spencer resisted for only half a second before he melted down into Tony’s embrace. The counter gave Tony just enough height that it was easy to pull Spencer in to curl up right near his arc reactor. The younger genius did, letting himself be cradled close. It didn’t stop him from saying “They wouldn’t be so mean if you didn’t insist on antagonizing them.”

“Where’s the fun in that?” Tony shot back. “Besides, it got me you. You’re much nicer to me than they are.”

The soft brush of Sam’s hand against Spencer’s back was a brief warning just seconds before Sam pressed a kiss to Spencer’s head. “Spencer’s nicer than all of us.” He shot a wide smile at Tony and then kissed him as well.

Out of the corner of his eye, Tony saw Clint mouth ‘what the fuck’ at Natasha, who was staring even harder than before – that look that said she was starting to figure some things out. Thor wasn’t batting an eye yet again, and Steve was both bright red and shooting concerned looks Loki’s way. Bruce, well, Bruce was the one most used to Tony, and he clearly had figured out something was going on here he wasn’t aware of. He was calmly taking a seat by Thor and reaching out for one of the mugs and the coffee pot that Spencer had taken to the table when no one was looking.

Over by the long counter where the fruit was being put into bowls, Remy let out a snort. Even with his sunglasses, it was easy to see the amused look he turned Sam’s way. “Dunno, cher. Y’ an him are pretty neck an neck on dat one.”

Spencer, who had turned in Tony’s arms but hadn’t quite left his hold, arched a brow at his partners and dryly called out “As entertaining as this all is, have all of you forgotten we have guests? I doubt they want to sit here all afternoon and watch you flirt.”

“They should be so lucky,” Loki said, tilting enough to smirk at Spencer.

“Tony,” Steve called out, cutting into the banter that might’ve sprung up from that. He was seated as well now, all of them were, though he looked like he wasn’t quite comfortable or sure. It was a look that Tony hadn’t seen on him in a long time. Not since his early days at the tower. Once Steve and Tony had worked past some of their differences, they’d become friends, and Steve had relaxed. The longer he stuck around, the more he relaxed. But now he looked like all that tension had come back, and his eyes were very deliberately not looking at anyone else. He just stared straight at Tony as he asked: “What’s going on here?”

Leave it to Cap to cut to the chase like that. He could be tactful, but he often believed that everything should be dealt with straightforwardly. No beating around the bush for Captain America.

Tony was tempted to play dumb and try and draw it out. Watching their faces was too much fun. Still, he supposed he could be a little bit nice. In his own way, of course. With a Cheshire smile, Tony adjusted his hold on Spencer, getting comfortable in preparation of what was about to happen. “I figured it was about time I introduced you guys to all of my partners, not just Loki. It’s the first time we’ve been able to get everyone here in a while, and we wanted to do it together.”

Their reactions were everything Tony could’ve hoped for. Steve turned bright red from neck to ear-tip, and he actually _stammered_ as he repeated the word “P-Partners?”

At the same time, Clint’s eyes had gone wide, and he was looking over everyone with an expression that, by the time it returned to Tony, was clearly impressed. “Dude! Seriously?” He added an eyebrow wiggle to it, coupled with a leer, and Tony was reminded all over again why Clint was his second favorite person.

His first favorite was smiling at him, serving up a cup of tea and saying nothing, though the way his eyes ran over the others and how he tipped his head at Tony afterward was enough of an acknowledgment. Bruce might not understand it, but he wasn’t the type to judge. He was the type to accept something as different and to offer his ear to listen later if Tony needed it. Beyond that, Bruce would likely feel it wasn’t his business, and Tony loved him all the more for it.

Thor, however, surprised Tony the most. He looked to his brother as Loki finished putting the last of the food on the table, and his gaze was rather intent. Like what Loki might say next was very important. “These are your partners, brother?”

“Aye.” Loki set down his platter and spatula and focused just as intently on Thor as his brother was on him. There was a look on his face that had the rest of their group going quiet and watching. “I am theirs, as they are mine.”

The only way Tony could think of to describe the look on Thor’s face was _impressed_.

A soft movement against Tony’s chest warned him that Spencer was peeking up a little more. The young genius twisted so that he could look out at the others without leaving Tony’s arms. His eyes went to Thor, and it seemed like his need-to-know was outweighing his nerves. “Are polyamorous relationships common in Asgard? I’ve never thought to ask that before.” He slanted an almost apologetic look at Loki. “We asked if you were comfortable with it, and we took your ease for granted without asking if there was a reason behind it. I’m sorry about that.”

Loki negligently waved a hand at them. “It’s of no worries. The laws of Asgard hold no bearing on my relationships. Not anymore.”

“It is not common, so to speak,” Thor said, his eyes briefly sad as they lingered on Loki a moment more. Then they cleared as he turned his focus to Spencer. “Usually, it’s a sign of station to have more than one partner. Many of higher rank have what we call a Triad, and royalty has been known to have three partners, what we would call a Quartet. To have more is… very rare.”

There was no denying the smugness that was radiating from Loki. Even those that weren’t empaths were practically able to feel it.

With a roll of his eyes and a twist of his hips that let him bump Loki as he went past, Remy brought over the last of his dishes. “Great, now y’ done it, cher. De _homme_ already has enough of an ego on him. Now y’ done gave him cause to sit dere and preen all fuckin’ morning long.”

The soft “Language” from Steve sounded reflexive, and still a bit stunned.

It had Remy laughing at him. Sam, who had joined Remy, smiled and shook his head. “Good luck with that, Captain Rogers. Try to take away his ability to swear, and he’ll just switch to a new language.” The smile Sam wore stayed in place even as he stepped up to the side of the table right near Bruce. The Avengers had taken up one end, with Bruce and Thor on one side, Steve at the end, and Natasha and Clint on the other side. Sam paused by Bruce and held a hand out to him first. “My name’s Sam, since no one has bothered to introduce us yet, and it’s a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Banner. It’s a pleasure to meet all of you.”

Everyone took turns shaking his hand, and Sam kept his smile in place the whole time. It was the one he wore on a hunt when he had to talk to victims and their families; the one that just sort of made people like him and want to trust him.

“You have a strong grip,” Natasha commented when she took her turn.

There wasn’t even a twitch to Sam’s face to give him away. “I work out a lot.”

That introduction seemed to break the ice for everyone else. Tony was allowed off the counter, finally, and he made his way to the end of the table directly opposite Steve. It let him have Spencer to one side, with Loki next to him, and then Remy, followed by Sam, on the other side. As they all took their seats, Tony introduced the last two. “The Cajun menace here is Remy, and he’s a charming pain in the ass who flirts worse than I do. And our quiet one over here is Spencer, who isn’t exactly alert and coherent before he’s had a pot of coffee.”

“As if you’re any better,” Spencer fired back reflexively.

Tony beamed proudly at him. He loved when Spencer got snarky. “Ah, but I’ve had way more coffee than you already.” Reaching out, he tapped a finger against Spencer’s nose, laughing when it caused the other man to jerk back from him. Even with the scowl Spencer wore, there was enough humor in his eyes to let Tony know he wasn’t really offended.

When Tony looked down the table again, he found that poor Steve looked just as lost as before, and Tony actually felt a little bit bad about that. This was so far outside the guy’s experience. He’d been great about some of the changes between the past and the future – less so about others – but Tony could respect that this wasn’t an easy one. Open homosexuality had been huge for him. Open homosexuality mixed with polyamory? Yeah, it was no wonder the guy was lost.

The way that Tony’s expression gentled was one that was typically reserved for his friends on special occasions, or for his partners. “It’s called polyamory,” Tony said, directing his words to Steve even though the rest of the table was listening. The others probably already knew this – minus Thor, at least – so they didn’t need the background explanation. But he could answer some of their questions along the way, too. “There are a lot of different types, and in a ton of different cultures. Just like any other relationship, how it works changes from group to group, depending on what the people in that group want. What we have – what all of us want – is a committed relationship between the five of us.”

“We don’t sleep with other people,” Remy chimed in. He stretched forward and didn’t bother waiting for the others to relax enough to start eating. When there was food, Remy rarely turned it down, nor did he let it go to waste. As he served up his plate, and Sam’s as well, he flashed a smile up at the Avengers. “We’re committed to each other, an we love each other. To us, dat’s what matters.”

Loki, who was reclined back a bit in his seat, cradling a cup of tea in his hands, gave a nod of agreement. “We’re not often able to be together as a unit quite the way that we wish, but when we are able, we will take every advantage of it.”

“Hence why we’re doing the whole meet-and-greet thing,” Tony said, picking the conversation up again. “Cause I guarantee this won’t be the last time you’ll see these guys in the tower. We wanted to do introductions as a whole group – that was why we waited. Now that you know who everyone is, you’ll probably see one or all of them in and out of the tower at one point or another.”

“So you guys are… you’re all actually dating?” Steve asked. He hesitated just one second, and then blurted out, “How does that even work?”

Tony chuckled. “Very carefully, and with lots of negotiation and flexibility.” None of which was a lie, though the leer he gave twisted the words to mean something else entirely. Something which had Spencer kicking him underneath the table.

It was no real surprise when Spencer leaned forward and drew the attention to him. Little as he liked it, he’d gotten better about it over the years, and he always handled it easiest when he was backed by people he cared for and trusted. “Tony’s not wrong. What we do is confusing, Captain, I understand that. It’s probably unlike anything that you’ve come across so far in your time here. Yet, polyamory has been around for a very long time. The word polyamorous first appeared in an article called ‘A Bouquet of Lovers’, published in May 1990 in Green Egg Magazine. But it’s been around long before that. Philip II of Macedon had eight wives. The Persian King Darius III also had several wives, as well as at least three hundred and sixty concubines.”

The outflowing of facts clearly wasn’t what the others had been expecting from Spencer. Though it had Remy smiling fondly at him.

Bruce, however, leaned forward a little, a bit interested despite himself. “To be fair, most of those weren’t exactly completely consensual.”

“Neither were standard marriages,” Spencer pointed out. When Bruce tipped his head in a sort of ‘fair’ gesture, agreeing with him, it only encouraged Spencer to speak more. He was resting on his arms on the table now, looking around Loki to speak more to Bruce instead of Steve. “Just because there were instances of polyamory that are negative doesn’t mean that the entire practice should be considered evil. If that were the case, marriage as a whole wouldn’t still be practiced to this day. Honestly, if you stop to look at the statistics, the common heterosexual relationship actually has far more likelihood of danger between the two partners than any other pairing out there.”

“Part of that could be contributed to the lack of numbers representing relationships outside the norm,” Bruce said.

The way that Spencer’s were lighting up was a familiar look. One that his partners had seen enough to recognize and know what it meant. Loki reached up almost absently and touched his hand to Spencer’s shoulder. In a flash of green sparkle, the two switched seats. Spencer only startled a little at the change. He looked at Loki, mouth open, only for Loki to cut him off by leaning in to press a kiss to Spencer’s forehead. “Continue your talk, sweet one. I’m sure Dr. Banner would be interested in the research you’ve put into this.”

“You’ve actually researched it?” Bruce asked, taking the cue Loki gave him and running with it.

That was all it took to bring Spencer back around to him. “Well, some.”

Tony hid his smile behind his mug as he watched the two men turn in towards one another and, slowly but surely, get lost in facts and data that quickly lost most of the others around them. They were so caught up, neither one noticed the two Asgardians on either side of them discreetly adding food to their plates. Most of the tower inhabitants had gotten good at finding ways to encourage both Bruce and Tony to eat. They were pretty good at it, took. And Loki worked hard to make sure that all his partners were always fed. Between the five of them, only Loki and Sam were good at eating schedules, and even then Sam was only good when it came to other people, not himself.

Tony wasn’t surprised when the others mostly started to ignore the two men who were talking together. Everyone was starting to serve up their own food now as well, and it seemed that the previous restraint was fading away as they all grew used to the idea of everyone here.

It was Natasha who asked the question that Tony had expected. “How long have you all been together?”

 _How long have you done this under my nose_? Tony knew she was asking. There was no way for him to stop the way his smile turned just a bit devious. There were some times that he couldn’t quite help the hint of bitterness he held against her. Their relationship had gotten better over the past few months when she was around, and he had to deal with her, but it was hard for Tony to forget the things she’d said and done.

The fact that she’d spied on him, that wasn’t a big deal. Tony was used to that. Being a businessman, it was just a fact of life. However, that didn’t mean he would so easily forget the rest of it. The way she’d snuck up on him and injected him with something without his permission, no matter that it’d helped save his life, just because her boss had told her to. The report she’d written – Iron Man, yes. Tony Stark, not recommended. And that little psych profile. The one she’d built when, you know, Tony was _dying from pallidum poisoning._ Because that was totally accurate.

A lot of those things seemed to make Natasha think sometimes that she knew him better than everyone else. They were working on it, and the two were relaxing a little around one another, though Tony wasn’t sure he’d put the title of _friends_ to them yet. He liked to think they were on their way.

That didn’t mean he wasn’t going to enjoy proving to her just how little she actually knew him, and how wrong some of her assumptions were. “Individually, or as a unit?”

Her eyebrows drew down a little more, as much of a give-away as any open-faced suspicion from anyone else. “Both.”

The numbers and dates came easily to Tony’s mind. People often forgot just how easy numbers were for him. They didn’t come to him with the same speed they did for Spencer, but he could take them and turn them into something more, something amazing, far better than plenty other people on the planet. Maybe even some beyond, if Loki were to be believed.

Tapping a finger on the side of his mug, Tony pretended to think about it. “Let’s see. Sam and I met first, back when he was in college.”

“I met Spencer in college, too, not long after he graduated,” Sam said, reaching out to scoop more fruit onto his plate as he did. “But I didn’t introduce him and Tony until about, oh, three or four years later?” He checked with them, getting Tony’s nod in return, and continued. “They just sort of clicked, and it wasn’t long after that when we started doing a sort of on-again-off-again threesome thing.”

“Remy joined ‘em next,” the Cajun said. He slid a foot forward, hooking it around Tony’s ankle in an absent touch that he indulged in so often with them, and that never failed to make the others smile. “Knew Spencer way back when he was in college. He was, _Dieu_ , fourteen. We didn’t start datin’ till he was seventeen, though, and we’ve always had an open sort of relationship. When he got interested in Sammy an Tony, de first thing he did was call up Remy an let him know. Den, we all met up somewhere, an we talked it all out like adults. Laid out de ground rules of what we wanted, how committed we wanted to be.” A devilish grin split Remy’s features. “Den we fucked like rabbits fo’ de rest of de weekend.”

There was a low groan from Sam at Remy’s bluntness and amused smirks from the two troublemakers, but it was Spencer’s reaction that really garnered laughter. His head snapped up and he completely abandoned conversation with Bruce to furiously hiss out “Remy!” even as his entire face flushed crimson. There was a jerk under the table as Spencer gave a swift kick with surprising accuracy.

“Dude, way more detail than we need,” Clint said, looking torn between a bit impressed, slightly interested, and yet a little disgusted.

Natasha still looked just as curiously interested as she’d been this whole time. Only the sharpness of her eyes gave away just how much of this she was logging away. Likely preparing a report to give to Fury.

The thought had Tony smothering a grin. He was going to have to have JARVIS record the pirate’s reaction to finding out about this.

“And how does Loki add into the mix?” Natasha asked, her eyes darting to Loki and then back to Tony.

It wasn’t Tony who answered, though. Remy did, snorting loudly and bringing all attention over to him. “Are y’ kidding?” Lifting one hand, he gestured Loki’s way lazily. “Have y’ seen him? He’s fuckin’ gorgeous. When Tony brought him to us, we was willin’ enough on dat. Den we got to know him, an we found out he’s smart, sharp as fuck, an even more gorgeous on de inside dan he is on de outside. Like hell we was gonna let him go.”

The faint hint of color that touched Loki’s cheeks didn’t go unnoticed by the others. Nor did the heat that flashed through his gaze.

Tony reached a hand on, laying it on Loki’s arm, and he gave the rest of the table his brightest smile. “It took some work, some negotiations, and a whole lot of talking, but we got it all figured out, and we’re coming up on our one year anniversary this visit.”

That part more than anything else seemed to silence the others. The fact that they’d been together off and on for so long, and then for a year as a whole unit, spoke to the level of commitment they felt for one another. According to the world – and SHIELD – Tony Stark wasn’t capable of a committed relationship. Rarely was he seen with anyone for longer than a night. For him to be with someone, with _five_ of them, spoke to the kind of commitment that it was believed he wasn’t capable of.

Bruce, proving yet again why he was Tony’s favorite, softly said into the silence “Congratulations, all of you. You seem like you’re happy together.”

“Many blessings upon your union!” Thor chimed in loudly, lifting his drink high in what Tony hoped wouldn’t turn into another drink-smashing thing.

The words were echoed a bit slower by the others, but they were echoed, and that was what mattered. Tony couldn’t help just how happy he felt as he sat there with his friends and partners both, all of them together at the table for the first time, and all of them actually _talking_. This was more than he’d hoped for when he’d planned this. Tony had been sure that there’d be some fights, some anger, maybe even some judgment. And yet…

Spencer and Bruce were once more lost in conversation together. Sam had engaged both Clint and Natasha in a talk on weapons of all things, and Remy was using his natural charm – not his actual mutant charm power – to bring Thor under his spell the same way he seemed to manage with just about everyone else.

The wrist under Tony’s hand moved a little, and then Loki’s hand was lacing together with Tony’s. He brought his eyes up to his partner and found that Loki was giving him that secret, loving smile that so few got to see. An answering one lit Tony’s face. Yeah, this visit had definitely been a good idea.


	3. Chapter 3

Telling the other Avengers about his partners was like lifting a great weight off of Tony’s shoulders. He didn’t have to hide anymore. He was free to be himself, to be with the ones he loved, without worry about who might see them or what might be said. If Tony wanted to go downstairs with just Loki, he could. If he and Spencer wanted to grab some coffee from the common floor while taking a break from science, there was no fear that someone might see them and get the wrong impression. Tony was free to take Sam and Remy down to the gym and work out a little with them, continuing the lessons that Remy was giving him.

There were times during their stay that Tony walked in to find the others paired off, occupying themselves while Tony had been working, or out on a callout.

The one time the Avengers were called out it wasn’t even big enough to need Loki’s help, so he’d been free to stay behind. Tony had come back to find all his partners waiting for him on the common floor. They’d been in a puppy pile on the couch, with Sam and Remy on the bottom, and Loki and Spencer twined together on top. They’d all looked up at him and smiled, and if Tony hadn’t already loved them, that would’ve been the moment it finally clicked. When he stood there looking at his four lovers, and they’d held their hands out to him, drawing him right into the pile like they’d just been waiting for him to get there.

Having them all there was like a taste of what life could be like if everything else didn’t get in the way. If Spencer didn’t have a job that took him all around the country, if Remy didn’t work with the X-Men and need to go off on missions, if Sam wasn’t stuck in the life of a hunter.

They all had such dangerous lives. Jobs that would likely get them killed long before their prime. Not even Loki, their sort-of-immortal, was immune to that risk. His time with Thanos had taught him that.

But, even with their chaotic lives, they could find peace. They could _make_ peace.

Telling the Avengers had been the first step in that. Giving them someplace they no longer had to hide.

The next step was telling others.

Loki had no one to tell, as he calmly pointed out when they were discussing it on their second to last day together. They were all hanging out on the balcony, enjoying a lazy morning breakfast and coffee. Sam was half asleep on his own chair, feet up by Tony and Remy, who were sharing a chair in a tangle of limbs. Loki was on his patio chair with Spencer laying back between his legs, and he was lazily playing with the younger man’s hair.

“The only ones I care to tell are here,” Loki told them, shrugging one shoulder like it was no big deal.

Remy let out a low huffing sound, nuzzling in against Tony’s hair. “Aint got lots to tell on my part, neither. Wolvie already knows, an de others got told. Dey didn’t believe me, _mais_ I don’t really care none.”

They didn’t believe him? Hmm. A gleam entered Tony’s eyes as he thought that over. Going to introduce them all to the X-Men might prove more fun than he’d thought. He’d get to tweak a few noses, too. Especially the ones that belonged to people who’d given Remy far too much shit through the years. (Rogue’s name drifted to the front of his mind.)

“My team should be easy enough,” Spencer said. His voice was lower, with that hint of a husky sound that he got when really tired, or really relaxed. There was just a faint hint of a West Coast accent that tended to flavor his words then. “They’ve met both Sam and Remy, and Sam would’ve been the hardest, seeing as how he’s a wanted criminal who’s still presumed dead.”

Loki chuckled lowly. “As opposed to a god who led an alien attack against the world?”

One of Spencer’s hands came up to lazily wave through the air. He didn’t even open his eyes to answer him. “I work with profilers. If there’s anyone who’s going to understand the mental minefield of what you went through, it’d be them. No, the most we’ll have to deal with is perhaps their disbelief at me having a partner at all, let alone part _ners_.” There was a hint of wonder in Spencer’s voice as he said those words; as if he still had a hard time believing it himself, even after a year.

His words had Loki bending low to press a kiss to Spencer’s hair. “If they are half the people you say they are, they’ll be happy to see you happy, my sweet.”

“So we’ll shock Spence’s teammates, and then go and shove us in the faces of some assholes at Xavier’s school for gifted douchebags,” Tony summed up. He had a smirk that promised serious trouble. He slanted a look Sam’s way. “And then the best one of all… Winchester the Elder.”

Sam had been so quiet through this it wouldn’t have been surprising if he were asleep. Yet, without moving or even opening his eyes, he made a scoffing sound at them. “The fact that you think I’m telling him anything with any of you there is slightly adorable, but mostly ridiculous.”

“Y’ don’t trust us to behave?” Remy asked, rolling his head to look over at Sam. He put on his most offended look, even going so far as to place a hand over his heart. “ _Mon ours_ , I’m hurt!”

One of Sam’s eyes peeked open. Somehow, he managed to give Remy a clearly disbelieving look with just that one eye showing. Then he rolled that eye before closing it again. “Trust me. It’ll go better for us all if I do it alone.”

“You think your brother will cause trouble?” Loki asked.

The sigh that Sam let out was a bit too heavy for his partners’ tastes. “Dean’s not homophobic or anything like that. But… so far as he knows, I’ve only ever dated girls, so springing on him that I’m dating a guy is going to be interesting enough. The fact that I’m dating _four_ is going to be even more different.”

“Not to mention two of them are mutants, one is the richest and most famous man in the United States, and one is an alien demi-god,” Spencer pointed out. He, at least, had met Dean, even if only as Sam’s friend. He knew what to expect better than the rest of them. Honestly, it wasn’t something he was looking forward to. He and Dean didn’t exactly get along all that well. Dean hadn’t been pleased to find out that Sam had a friend from his Stanford days that he regularly hung out with – not until it came time to needing some real FBI help. Then he was more than willing to take advantage of their friendship and nag Sam into getting them some help, on top of guilt-tripping Spencer until there was no way the young genius could do anything but agree.

Remy huffed, clearly not liking this. “All de more reason fo’ us to come with y’, cher. Best to get it all right out in de open right away. Kind of like rippin’ off a Band-Aid, yeah?”

The way Sam looked at him said just how stupid he thought that idea was. However, he didn’t try to argue it. He recognized this as one of those things that his partners weren’t going to move on. In their own way, they were trying to take care of him, and there was a part of Sam that loved that no matter how much he protested it. Besides which, this was something that involved all of them, and they’d do it the same way they’d done everything else.

Together.

* * *

First up was meeting Spencer’s team. That was easy enough – a group dinner planned for a few nights before they had to officially be back from their vacation.

Spencer was nervous. Mostly in that, introducing-partners-to-the-family way. Not that he thought his team would think badly of him, or of his partners. That wasn’t even a consideration in Spencer’s mind. He trusted his friends and family to do their best to get along for his sake. Against all amazing odds, all these people _loved_ him, each in their own way. Spencer knew that meant they’d do their best to make things work.

What worried him was the fact that he knew they’d try, even if they didn’t actually like one another, and he desperately wanted them all to like one another. It was stupid, he knew. He seemed to be drawn to people with strong personalities, and people like that tended to clash with one another. It was just how it worked. Spencer had studied enough human behavior to know that. It was just…

He sighed heavily as he stared at his reflection in his bathroom mirror. _Quit it_ , he scolded himself. _You don’t need their approval. You have partners who love you, and whom you love, and that’s enough. That’s more than you ever thought you’d have._

The speech didn’t have quite the same effect that he’d hoped for. It didn’t help take away his nerves or make him feel any better.

The sound of the lock on the bathroom door clicking open had Spencer’s head snapping up. Through the mirror, he was able to watch as the door opened just enough for Remy to slip in and then it was being shut behind him. Remy made right for him without any hesitation. He walked up to stand behind Spencer, hands finding his hips easily. Remy held on lightly while he dropped his chin to rest on Spencer’s shoulder so that their faces were side by side.

Just the sight of Remy, the feel of him, was enough to take away some of Spencer’s tension. He let his body melt down a little into the hold. At the same time, he tilted his head just enough that their cheeks brushed together. “Hey.”

He felt Remy’s smile at the same time that he saw it. “Hey. Y’ been hidin’ out in here a long time now.”

“Just trying to get ready.”

“Mmhm.” Turning his head a little, Remy nuzzled at Spencer’s cheek. “Aint got nothing to do with you freakin’ y’rself out in here then, hm?”

One corner of Spencer’s mouth quirked up in a slightly wry smile. Being with someone who had a minor touch of empathy and who also happened to know him well enough to read his moods with a look meant that there was no real hiding anything. Especially not things like this. Resigned to that, Spencer let himself melt a little more into Remy’s embrace, taking the comfort of touch that he only allowed himself with his lovers. “I’m not freaking myself out. The entire situation is perfectly capable of managing that for me.”

He was rewarded with a low, husky chuckle right by his ear. Remy gave him a squeeze with just the right amount of pressure to help distract Spencer from the skittering, crawling sensation on his skin that always came when his anxiety was high.

It made Spencer love Remy all the more when the Cajun didn’t start trying to reassure him. He knew better. He knew that Spencer sometimes just needed touch more than he needed words. That he needed a steady place with someone to hold him up for a while before he could find his feet again. Being in Remy’s arms helped with that. Being here in Tony’s place did, too. If this had been at his home… the idea made Spencer want to shudder.

His lovers had suggested doing this whole thing at Spencer’s apartment so that he’d be able to be in his own safe space, thinking it might help his nerves. Spencer had refused, though. He didn’t want it to happen in his home. There, he’d be trapped no matter what happened. Instincts that Spencer had never been able to fully get rid of demanded that he have what could be a potential confrontation somewhere he had an escape route. Somewhere that would allow him to run if need be. When _fight, flight,_ or _freeze_ kicked in for Spencer, his earliest instincts had always been flight. Working at the BAU had helped change that, at least for work situations. But in his personal life? _Flight_ was still the first thing Spencer hit.

With one last deep breath, and a squeeze to Remy’s hands, Spencer drew himself up once more. It was time to stop hiding. He let Remy tuck him down underneath his arm while the two made their way out of the bathroom.

* * *

Everyone else was spread out through Tony’s penthouse. When Remy and Spencer reached the living room, they found Tony and Sam talking together over drinks. Loki was, presumably, off in the kitchen. He was far more nervous than the rest of them, Spencer knew. Probably even more nervous than _Spencer_. Though not for the reasons one might think. Spencer knew that Loki cared little what a group of _mortals_ thought of him. He likely wouldn’t give a damn if they hated him. Partly because, as he explained to Spencer one night, it was hard to worry about the anger of people whose lives were so fleeting, and who seemed to thrive on being angry at _someone_ about _something_ at all times. But also because Loki was far too used to hatred being directed his way.

The first reason had used to make Spencer nervous; make him wonder just how it was that Loki could love _them_ if they were all so fleeting to him? Just tiny little mayflies compared to his existence. (Loki had taken great pleasure that night in showing Spencer just how much he _did_ matter, in every way he could think of, and with his empathy wide open Spencer hadn’t been able to deny those feelings) But the second reason made Spencer’s heart ache. It also made him even more determined to have tonight go well.

To that end, he gave Remy a soft squeeze and then broke away, slipping past the others towards the kitchen. He caught Tony’s eye along the way. The engineer nodded at him in clear understanding and approval.

Spencer found Loki exactly where he’d expected to find him. The trickster was in the midst of the kitchen stirring something at the stovetop while all around him various bits of magic were helping prepare a multitude of other things. A salad was being chopped and put into a bowl on one counter, while on another rolls were being carefully laid into a baking dish.

For a moment, Spencer just stood there, enjoying watching him. Loki wasn’t wearing the apron Tony had gotten him – which he often liked to sneer at, insisting that he didn’t need something to keep his clothes clean, he just needed to not be messy like _some people_ – so it was easy for Spencer to see the outfit he’d picked for tonight. He’d gone formal, which was no surprise. Nor was it a disappointment. No one could manage to pull off a pair of slacks quite like Loki. The material clung in all the right places, showcasing long legs that Spencer adored seeing in most any form he could get. Paired with the grey silk shirt he was wearing, and the way he currently had his hair pulled back into a bun to keep it out of his face, he looked amazing.

Spencer’s appreciation didn’t go unnoticed. He could see it in the way that Loki straightened up just a little more, the way he cocked one hip ever-so-slightly to the right, how he drew his shoulders back. All of it turned his posture from casual to posing, and Spencer knew it was for his benefit. Loki enjoyed being watched. Admired.

Gathering up his love and admiration, Spencer projected those ahead of him, enjoying the way that it made Loki shiver happily. When the mage finally turned to look over at him, his green eyes were warm and soft.

If any of Spencer’s friends had been there early enough to be witnessing this moment, they would’ve been surprised to see the way that Spencer moved forward, how he easily tucked himself down under one of Loki’s arms to cuddle up against his side. Loki curled that arm around him and drew him close. He didn’t let go; instead, he used his magic to supplement his now busy hand.

Loki bent his head and pressed a kiss against Spencer’s hair. “You look exquisite tonight.”

“You say that every night,” Spencer pointed out. He was smiling, though.

The amusement and affection were easy to hear in Loki’s teasing voice. “And it is just as true tonight as it is every other night.”

Though Spencer rolled his eyes at the flowery words, he also let himself melt a little, leaning just that much more heavily against his partner. Loki didn’t even flinch under it. Spencer’s small weight was nothing to him. He stood there and let Spencer use him like a leaning post for as long as he needed. When he needed to move, he simply drew Spencer with him, not at all bothered by his presence there. Loki was far more tactile than anyone would suspect. He enjoyed any chance he had to touch his lovers.

Spencer stayed with him for a little while just to let the both of them soak up the comfort of the silent contact. It did more to settle him than anything he’d been doing in the bathroom.

He was slightly surprised when Loki was the one to break the silence. More so when his words were: “I don’t want them to hurt you.”

“Me either,” Spencer said, too surprised to censor himself. He tilted his head up enough that he could study the sharp angles of Loki’s face while his partner stared resolutely down at the salad he was mixing.

“I care little for what these mortals think of me, but I don’t wish them to think less of _you_. You’ve had far too little care and support in your life. I don’t wish to be responsible for taking away what little you do have.”

There was honest worry in each of Loki’s words. It was painted all over his face. In that moment, Spencer dared anyone to try and say that Loki was cold or unfeeling. None of them had any idea just what kind of sweet man sat underneath the surface.

Spencer stared up at him and felt his heart swell with that surge of love that only his partners inspired in him. It was the same for all of them, and yet different in their own ways, too. No two of them cared the same in their relationship. They all loved equally, yes, but in different ways, different shapes. What Spencer had with each of them was different from the rest, and yet no less sturdy, no less true. What he felt for Loki – it big, and strong, and terribly frightening sometimes, while at other times wildly exhilarating.

“I love you,” Spencer said, watching Loki’s face close enough that he could clearly see the surprise there, as well as the way he softened almost instantly afterward. The words weren’t something that Spencer said all that often. As an empath, he was the one who recognized the emotion easiest, but it also meant he was more likely to show it or to let others feel it. The words didn’t always come easy to him. That seemed to make them more meaningful, though.

Leaning in, Spencer pressed his face in against Loki’s neck and just, breathed him in. “So long as I have you guys at the end of the day, I’ll be okay. All of you, you’re what matter most to me.”

That was enough to have Loki completely abandoning his cooking to turn and wrap Spencer up in his embrace. His hold was just shy of _too tight_ and yet it felt amazing. He held Spencer like he was everything that was important in his world. Whatever words he murmured were almost too low to hear, and in Norse. A deliberate move, Spencer knew, seeing as how Loki had Allspeak. He’d found that Loki often switched to Norse when he wanted to say something soft and honest. As if speaking them in Allspeak was almost too much for him.

When they broke apart, neither one said anything. Spencer just leaned in again, and Loki resumed cooking, but the tension had drained out of the two of them.

* * *

Of course that tension didn’t _stay_ away. By the time there was a knock on the door Spencer had slowly wound himself back up once more. He felt Tony sidle up beside him, though the other man didn’t reach out to touch him. He just let Spencer stand there and twist his hands around in what Spencer often refused to admit was a stim. The gesture was absent; a self-soothing thing that wasn’t really doing its job at the moment.

“It’s gonna be fine,” Tony murmured to him.

That was easy for him to say. At the end of the day Tony didn’t have to really deal with these people. Even with their relationship out in the open it didn’t mean that they’d all get together. Tony could avoid the team all he wanted without there being but a day or two for holidays or something where he might be forced to interact with them. Spencer had to _work_ with these people. They were his friends. His family. “I’m going to be sick.”

Sam moved to stand with them, with Loki coming up at their backs, and he smiled at Spencer. “No, you’re not.”

As Spencer watched Remy go to open the door, he tried to hold on to the warmth of the people around him. They’d created quite a comfortable cocoon of positive emotions for Spencer to latch on to. Honestly, that was likely the only thing that gave Spencer the strength to stay there as Remy opened the door and let the entire team inside.

Any other time and Spencer might’ve enjoyed the surprised way that everyone was looking around. The only people who didn’t seem the least bit awed were Dave – who had an opulent home of his own – and Aaron.

They weren’t looking around. They were looking at _him_.

Working with profilers meant that there were few things that could be hidden. While Spencer was practiced at controlling his body language, he also knew that there was plenty about himself that spoke volumes at the moment, and he didn’t want to go through the trouble of hiding them. Not when the whole point of this evening was to bring things out into the open.

Because of that, and because he could see that Dave was already piecing things together, Spencer decided to skip any semblance of small talk and simply be blunt. “Thanks for coming, guys,” he said, drawing every eye to him. It took effort for Spencer not to squirm under those looks. He felt Tony’s fingers brushing against his hip, a silent support, and he leaned into the contact even as he straightened himself up. “I’d, uh, I’d like to introduce you guys to my partners.”

“Partners?” Derek repeated, surprising showing on his face. He was clearly looking over the others around Spencer, how they were standing with him, how Remy came to join them.

Spencer watched as he saw the realization hit everyone. He gathered up what was left of his courage and tried to smile. “Yeah. You guys all know Remy and Sam, but this is Tony, and this is Loki. My, um. My partners.”

The silence that fell over them had Spencer wanting to wring his hands once more. He knew they were all smart – they understood exactly what he was saying here. There was no momentary confusion as they tried to figure things out. Hell, they’d probably already guessed when they were coming in. Spencer’s words only confirmed it.

He wasn’t surprised that it was Penelope who broke the silence.

“Reid!” Penelope just _lit up_. In an instant she was moving around the others and coming towards him with her arms out. There was nothing Spencer could do accept step forward and accept the hug she wrapped him in. She kept it brief and then was pulling back cupping his face as she beamed up at him. “Oh, I’m so happy for you!”

After a kiss on his cheek, she was moving to the one closest to him, Remy, and holding out her arms to hug him as well, and she didn’t stop there. She moved through them all with hugs and just about overflowing with her happiness for him in that pure way that she somehow still managed even after years at this job. She even hugged Loki, who looked startled by the contact, yet quietly pleased, too.

Spencer watched her go, his own smile bright.

On his other side, he heard Tony shift. “Oh my God,” Tony said, just loud enough that everyone heard him. “She’s like a Care Bear Weapon of Mass Love.”

The whole room froze at that. Every single one of them turned to look at Tony, but it was Loki who voiced what his partners were all thinking, albeit with a bit more snark than the others might’ve used. “Do you think before you speak, or do you simply open your mouth and allow words to fall out?”

That brought laughter to just about everyone, and Tony was grinning smugly, shrugging as if to say _What can you do_? Penelope responded by going to hug him next, and Tony greeted her like they were long lost friends, hugging her just as tightly as she hugged him, even going so far as to kiss her cheek when they pulled back. “You’re definitely my favorite so far,” he told her cheerfully. With one arm still around her, he turned to his partners and pointed a finger at her. “I want one. Can I have one? Can we just take her home with us and keep her?”

“You can’t have her,” JJ said, moving forward now. “Sorry, but there’s only one Garcia, and she’s ours.”

Tony had managed to break the ice in true Tony fashion, and it seemed to have unfrozen everyone else. JJ’s smile wasn’t as bright as Penelope’s, but it was warm and open, and she handed out hugs as well, as did Emily. Aaron, Dave, and Derek all stuck to the more manly handshakes, which had Spencer wanting to snort. He held it back, though, and just drew in the mostly warm emotions that were filling the room. There was concern, yes, and a few sharper emotions when they looked at Loki, but mostly it was drowned out by love and the kind of _trust_ that Spencer knew was rare.

It was Derek who broached the subject they were all sort of dancing around here. He crossed his arms over his chest and gave a quick look over Spencer and his partners. To his credit, he seemed to be trying not to look judgmental. _Trying_ being the operative word here. But he’d always been overprotective of Spencer. “I gotta say, kid, this wasn’t quite what I was expecting tonight.”

“I know,” Spencer said, answering before anyone else could. He fought not to twist his hands together in front of him in an openly nervous gesture. It got easier when Tony’s hand slid down into his back pocket, and Sam moved close enough that Spencer could feel the warmth of him right by his side. “I, um, I wasn’t quite sure how to tell you guys. I know our relationship isn’t the most conventional, nor that easy for everyone to understand. But I just… I’m happy, and I wanted you guys to know.”

“And we’re happy for you, Spence,” JJ said easily. The way she smiled at him gave a truth to her words that was backed by her emotions. She really was happy for him.

It was Aaron who spoke next. He’d stayed mostly quiet so far, eyes serious as he watched Spencer. There was very clear concern written there for those who knew how to look. When Spencer focused on him, the two held gazes for a moment. Whatever Aaron saw there had him giving Spencer a small nod. “We are happy for you,” he said. There was no sound of a lie to his words. However… “That doesn’t mean we aren’t concerned, Reid.”

The curl of a hand over his shoulder kept Spencer from speaking. Loki silenced him with that gesture, yet he continued to hold on afterward. Either giving support or seeking it, Spencer wasn’t sure. “Let us be honest here. Your concern isn’t about our entire partnership. It’s about _me_.”

“Considering you tried to take over the planet, I don’t think it’s an unwarranted concern,” Aaron said easily.

Spencer glanced back to find Loki dipping his head in acknowledgement of those words. His calm mask didn’t break, though. “Perhaps not entirely,” Loki conceded. “However, if you’ve seen Anthony’s press conference after the battle, you would know that I was cleared of all charges, and very valid reasons were given as to why. Or you could simply choose to respect Spencer’s intelligence and trust that we’ve had this discussion ourselves, and my answers were satisfactory enough for him. Beyond that, I see no need to explain myself.”

“We know who Loki is, an we trust him. We love him,” Remy supplied. He was leaning against Tony’s side now, one arm around his shoulders. He smirked at the others when they looked his way. There was a sharp edge to it, though. One that warned he wasn’t going to stay nice if they pushed this.

All of them were so protective of one another. It’s part of what made meetings like this so dangerous.

Spencer was sure there were going to be more questions. That his friends might push this, might try and push about Loki. Only, he should’ve known. They never did anything he expected them to. Instead of pushing about why he was with Loki, Dave took it a direction that Spencer hadn’t anticipated. “That’s good enough for me,” Dave started out with, stunning Spencer. Then he smiled. “Though, that single press conference aside, there’s not really a lot said about you now except that you occasionally work with the Avengers. You should probably think about running some sort of press campaign to improve your public image. Especially with who you’re dating.”

Tony huffed and shot Loki a mostly fake glare. “Try and convince him of that.”

“It doesn’t bother you to know what people think of you?” Aaron asked.

Loki arched one dark eyebrow at Aaron. When he spoke, his tone held just a hint of scorn to it. “You seem to be laboring under the misapprehension that I care at all about the opinions of mortals. At best, I care for how it affects my partners. Beyond that, I have no real concern for what your realm thinks of me. Just so long as they know to leave me and mine alone.”

“On that pleasant note,” Sam interjected. He shot an amused and exasperated look Loki’s way, getting only a sharp grin in return. Then Sam was shaking his head and focusing back on the others. “Why don’t we all go ahead and eat?”

“He’s right,” Tony said, clapping his hands together. “You guys can interrogate us as much as you like while we’re stuffing our faces. Come on, this way. Trust me, you’re going to love what we’ve got to eat tonight…”

With Tony playing host and leading the way, it left Spencer free to move forward a bit more slowly, his eyes on his partners and his team. It wasn’t hard to see that the team all had questions still. They’d no doubt take Tony up on his offer of interrogation. But they were still here. Not just here, but smiling a little, and clearly willing to listen. To give these men a shot. Not because of who they were, or because they had to, but because Spencer was asking them to and that was enough for them.

When Sam slipped an arm around Spencer’s shoulders, he easily leaned in, not quite able to wipe the smile off his face. Together, the two followed after everyone.

**Author's Note:**

> I may add more at a later date if I think of something fun for this group. :)


End file.
